A blog of celebration! Of Life, Entertainment, and the things I like! AND Keeping the Arts Alive!
Doing it right...doing it big...giving it class!

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Bernard Furshpan and NYC's Metropolitan Room!

The
only thing you have to give up to get what you want is the idea that you can’t
have it.

Happy Sunday!

Sitting here on a Sunday afternoon sipping my coffee and listening to Jonathan Schwartz's radio show on the 40s channel on Sirius XM, the 40s channel, celebrating the Great American Songbook. What could be better? Perhaps being at a LIVE show! Last night, I went to see Pamela Luss' wonderful show at The Metropolitan Room. I wrote about Pamela a few weeks ago. She'll be back next month. Check out The Metropolitan Room's calendar and check out Pamela.

I have been going to The Metropolitan Room for the last six years. They are celebrating their 6th anniversary in May. It's hard to believe it has been six years.

It seems like it was only yesterday that it was announced that Lennie Watts (current president of MAC :Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs) was opening a new room having launched the now defunct Encore and Mama Rose. In the 25 years that I have been part of the cabaret community, I have seen a lot of room come and go. We just recently lost the famed Oak Room at The Algonquin Hotel which had a 31 year run. There is also a buzz about a new club called 54 Below. According to Simply-Showbiz.com, 54 Below will be located one floor beneath the old
Studio 54 nightclub on West 54th Street. The main floor is now a theater
space for Roundabout Theatre Company. While the new club—which will
open in June—can’t be called a replacement for the Oak Room, it
definitely sounds as though it will be a high-end venture, seemingly in
the same league with Michael Feinstein’s club, Feinstein’s at Loews
Regency on Park Avenue. Patti Lupone is scheduled to be the opening act.

I will say that over the years, I have never had a bad experience as a patron of The Metropolitan Room. The same cannot be said, however, for the entertainers that have appeared there. There have been rumblings among the circuit that they have had, in the past, trouble getting paid in a timely manner. The unfortunate thing is that with the paradigm as it is now, most entertainers self produce. They have to pay for musicians, arrangements, advertising, promotions, EVERYTHING. They then four-wall the room, which essentially means to rent it. As entertainers, we are sometimes happy to get paid when we get paid. I have yet to meet a musician, however, who is as patient. I've even had some musicians who want to be paid before they walk out on stage. When you have to dole out that money and then have to wait five or six months to get paid, even longer, that's outrageous!

Enter Bernard Furshpan! Bernie, as he asked me to call him, is part of an exciting team that also includes booking manager and entertainer Tanya Holt, who I also have written about. Lennie left sometime ago to pursue other interests. A very generous benefactor stepped up to the plate with an investment that paid off all the entertainers up to date. Bernie means business. He aims to reach beyond the usual cabaret audience (friends, family, fellow performers) and build a business. He wants to give the more "prestigious" rooms such as Feinstein's and the Carlysle a run for their money. I hope he succeeds. Based on my conversations with him, I think he'll succeed!

Bernie remembers seeing Peter Pan in the mid 1960s. He was so taken back
with the whole concept of live entertainment and how big and exciting the
experience was to him.

He can’t recall the exact theater and location but he knows it was in New
York City.

Unfortunately, Bernie really wasn't exposed to the arts growing up. His parents were immigrants and worked very
hard to make ends meet. They did a great job raising his brother and himself,
but the arts were not part of their upbringing. On his own, he learned to draw and
play drums.

Bernie was born in Israel and emigrated to the U.S. when he turned
7. His youth was spent on the streets of Brooklyn and in high school, his
extracurricular activities were involved in volunteering at Coney Island
Hospital. He always desired to play drums and his brother bought him his first
snare drum and a symbol. He says he gave his mom headaches every day. He went
to Stony Brook University and majored in sciences as a pre-med student. He
worked for the college newspaper and magazine as an graphic artist and
cartoonist.

Bernie's first professional job in the arts was as a drummer when he was in college
and he played at local bars around the Stony Brook area. It ended when a
fight broke out at the bar and his drum set was destroyed. Bernie's first
professional job as a producer and promoter of the arts was at Lincoln
Center. He produced and promoted a successful Russian concert, immediately
followed by an even more successful historic blues concert at Avery Fischer Hall. His first professional job as a stand up comedian was at Gotham Comedy Club in
2008.

Your thoughts on Arts in Education (ALL of my blogs focus on
this)

Many things we do in life can be
considered artful. The way some people fold their shirts is art to
me. I find that people who are passionate about what they do and do it
often are artists in their own right. When it comes to formal art, as in
paintings, music, dance, etc., I feel compelled to say that this expression is
more important for the heart and soul of the individual than all the other
forms of learning combined. I feel this way because it’s an exercise in
allowing your natural instinct, that is inherent in all of us to find an
outlet. This is the stuff that makes us happy – the exercise of
expressing the beauty of nature by way of our bodies as a vehicle of its
expression. The body is a medium of this expression and it moves outward
from physical expression, voice, movement, etc.

The other areas in
education is important in terms of knowledge about history of our civilization,
culture, communication, business – it’s all good, but not complete with a
balanced education that includes studying the human expression of art.

I’ve been a fan of Carol Channing since I was very young. I’ve always
loved her genuineness and good feeling I had when I heard her sing or
talk. There’s something very special about her that is very rare and
wonderful. I would hope that she achieves all her goals in her endeavors
to support the arts.

If you agree that she
should receive this honor, can you say why you think this should happen (See below to see how YOU can help!)

I truly believe that Carol Channing should receive the 2012 Kennedy
because of her dedication to the arts. She’s truly a living legend that
is more concerned about other artists’ careers and helping them achieve their
goals.

Most recent show at
The Metropolitan Room that you were very excited about

In the concert production and
promotions, I would say it was my historic Blues Concert at Avery Fischer Hall
in January of 2004. We had the likes of Pinetop Perkins, Buddy Guy, John
Mayer, Little Milton, James Cotton, George Mogo Buford, Calvin Jones, Bob
Margolin, Jody Williams, Bob Stroger, Robert Lockwood Jr, David Honeyboy
Edwards, Eddie Shaw, and more To read more about this event, go to http://www.big-fish-productions.com/legendsofblues/index.html

What was your lowest
low and how did you surpass that?My lowest point was forgetting the
punchline of a joke while performing stand up. I did some crowd work and
never completed the joke. I felt embarrassed after that.

What one change would you like to see in today’s industry?

I’d like to see artists get a bit more
respect than they are receiving. I’ve fixed up our artist dressing room
and provided them with amenities most don’t think about. Their comfort is
a big concern for me.

What do you think ultimately made you accept your current
role at The Met Room?

What ultimately made me decide to move
forward with The Met Room were conversations with Chris Mazzilli, partner of
Gotham Comedy Club and Metropolitan Room.

Are you happy at
the point you are right now in your career?

Marilyn Maye and Bernie Furshpan at The Metropolitan Room

Absolutely happy! I love the business, the relationships with my
staff, artists and patrons. It’s a people business and it goes beyond
that – it’s a business supporting the arts and I love working with talented and
professional individuals.

Do you feel you have
achieved what you set out to do?

I don’t think I’ll ever be satisfied with my achievements. I
continuously challenge myself to reach higher goals and raise the bar on all
areas of my life and business. However, I’m always happy with the
direction things are moving, even if it gets uncomfortable at times.

What do you do to
remain positive when life's hiccups get you down?

I don’t usually get down on results I’m not seeking. I do see them
as lessons and I learn what I don’t want to do. I’m always looking to fix
problems so they don’t necessarily scare me. If I don’t have problems to
fix, I’m out of a job.

How on earth do you
reach cabaret goers now that newspapers are obsolete and there are so many
channels on TV you can’t pick the right ones to advertise on and with the web
being so hit and miss.

I believe that the best way to attract business with cabaret goers is the
old fashioned “Word of Mouth.” If we can give our patrons more than they
expect to get for what they paid for – to enhance their experience and make it
exciting, magical and memorable, then they’ll not only come back, but bring
others to the club.

A genie pops out of
the lamp, he grants you three wishes. What are those wishes?

1.Meet Carol Channing

2.Make The Metropolitan Room an
International Destination

3.Provide all my friends the resources
to succeed in their careers

If you could travel
anywhere in the world and spend some time there, where would you choose, and
what would you do?

with Joanne Portelli

Open a Metropolitan Room in Asia and bring all my Cabaret friends to the
venue to perform and entertain and quench their thirst for American culture and
music.

What would you ask God
if you could right now?

To grant me, my family and friends long healthy lives and great
relationships.

What is the last stage
show you saw. Local or professional.

I see the Metropolitan Room stage every day. I’ve been to other
venues in NYC recently, however, I love the Met Room and working on improving
it constantly – giving it the love it deserves.

What was the turning
point in your career?

I believe establishing solid, trusting relationships in the business
helps get a footing in it and it launched my career to the next level.
It’s all about relationships and I believe one has to build trust, have
integrity and nurture relationships.

When do you know it’s
time for a Met show?

Every day I know it’s time.

I agree, Bernie! I'm rooting for you!!

NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY!

Please do what YOU can to be more aware that words and actions DO HURT...but they can also heal and help!

Tomorrow's blog will be... Networking In The Cabaret Community! (Suggested by Bernie Furshpan)

Thank you, to all the mentioned in this blog!

Here's to an INCREDIBLE tomorrow for ALL...with NO challenges!

Portions of The Persian Room Presents benefits ChldHelp, a cause dear to Carol Lawrence's heart. Please join us at Barnes and Noble on Wednesday Evening, March 7th, 2012 7PM 82nd and Broadway to celebrate this amazing book. Details here!